Where did panthers get their name?

Answer 1

Panther is a generic term and does not apply to a single species. It may refer to a lion - panthera leo

a tiger - panthera tigris

a leopard - pantera pardus

a jaguar - panthera onca

a snow leopard - panthera uncia

To which panther are you referring?

Answer 2

The word is derived from Greek panther meaning panther or leopard.

In English, while it CAN refer to any member of genus Panthera (or even to members of genus Neofelis... the clouded leopards ... which is grouped together with Pantherain the subfamily Pantherinae), it USUALLY means either Panthera onca (jaguar), Panthera pardus (leopard), or ... and here's where it gets confusing ... Puma concolor(cougar/puma/mountain lion/"Florida panther"), which is NOT in the genus Panthera nor even the subfamily Pantherinae, but rather the subfamily Felinae.

Felid ("cat") taxonomy is confusing (don't even get me started on Leopardus), but not nearly as confusing as felid reproduction; most species in the genus Panthera can interbreed, and many species in the subfamily Felinae can interbreed with at least one other species within the same subfamily. (It has also been confirmed that cougars can crossbreed with leopards, despite not only being in different genera but different subfamilies ... and suddenly calling cougars "panthers" makes a certain amount of sense again).